The present invention relates in general to the field of backup environments, and in particular to a method for automatically configuring backup client systems and backup server systems in a backup environment, and a corresponding backup environment comprising at least one backup client system and at least one backup server system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a data processing program and a computer program product for automatically configuring backup client systems and backup server systems in a backup environment.
In a typical backup environment, backup clients back up data from respective backup client systems to one or more backup server systems. During the backup process, the data from the backup clients is copied to backup server systems. The backup server systems store the data in backup storages according to backup policies configured for the backup clients in the backup server systems. Backup policies depend on the type of the backup client. Backup clients each run on a server system. The server system, upon which the backup clients run, is called a “backup client system.”
The type of backup client is given by the kind of data the backup clients back up. The type of backup client, or type of backup data, includes but is not limited to the following: operating system files; data base files and logs; emails from an email server; data from resource planning system; virtual machine environments; and/or files of any type. One backup client system can backup multiple types of data to one or more backup server systems. For example, a first backup client running on a first backup client system can back up data of a first data type to a first backup server system and data of a second data type to a second backup server system.
Backup policies that are configured at the backup server systems determine how the backup data is stored and managed over the lifecycle according to certain requirements. In a given backup environment there is typically a backup policy for each data type handled by a backup client. For example, the first data type is managed by the first backup policy, the second data type is managed by a second backup policy and a third data type is managed by a third backup policy, etc. Furthermore, there is typically one common backup policy for a given data type in environments where that given data type is backed up from multiple backup clients. For example, in some conventional backup environments, data of the first type is present on two backup client systems and is backed up to one backup server system managed by the first backup policy. In other conventional backup environments, the first backup client system backs up data of the first data type to the first backup server system managed by the first backup policy and the second backup client system backs up data of the first data type to the second backup server system.
One known challenge in a typical conventional backup environment is the proper configuration of the backup client systems based on their data types and backup policy in the backup server systems. The backup policy typically addresses and incorporates the requirements associated with the backup of data of a certain data type. Each backup policy is configured at the backup server system and requires knowledge and experience with the individual constructs that satisfy the backup policy for the backup client system and its data types. Once a backup policy is defined the backup client system must be associated with this backup policy in the backup server by assigning the server connection properties and credentials to the backup client system. This becomes even more complex if a backup client system hosts multiple data types which must be assigned to different backup policies in the backup server systems. All these configuration steps are performed manually.